Newsroom
Short, verified market news summaries; every item names its source and publication date.
US natural gas near a two-month low as the gap with global LNG widens amid the Hormuz crisis
US natural gas (Henry Hub) fell to about $2.85 per million BTU in mid-July, its lowest level in two months. Rising domestic output (around 110 billion cubic feet per day), above-average inventories, and lower LNG exports during maintenance at the Freeport terminal (from July 10 until late August) have kept US domestic supply ample. That decline runs opposite to the trend in global gas prices, where disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and reduced LNG loadings in the Persian Gulf have tightened supply for European and Asian buyers and pushed prices higher. The gap shows how the current energy crisis has split the world gas market in two: the US with a cheap surplus, and Hormuz-dependent markets facing scarcity and higher costs.
Trading Economics · Jul 21, 2026
US LNG exports reach 34 cargoes in a week as the US-Europe gas price gap widens
US LNG plants shipped 34 cargoes in the week ending July 15, 2026, three more than the prior week. The US Energy Information Administration projects the country's gross LNG exports to reach about 16.7 billion cubic feet per day in 2026, up from 15.1 in 2025. Despite the brisk exports, the US Henry Hub spot price fell to about $2.80 per million BTU under the weight of Freeport terminal maintenance, while the Henry Hub-TTF spread with Europe widened to nearly $12.60. The gap reflects severe Qatari supply disruption, low European storage and tight global demand. Iran's March 2026 attack on Qatar's Ras Laffan export complex damaged two liquefaction trains, about 17 percent of Qatar's export capacity; Qatar supplied nearly 20 percent of global LNG in 2025.
LNG Prime · Jul 19, 2026
US Strategic Petroleum Reserve falls to lowest since 1983 amid Hormuz-crisis drawdowns
The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) fell to about 316.5 million barrels in the week ending July 10, 2026, the lowest level since April 1983. The reserve is now roughly 56 percent below its full capacity. Since the Strait of Hormuz closed in late February 2026, Washington has drawn nearly 99 million barrels from the reserve as part of an IEA-coordinated release to offset part of the global supply shortfall and fuel-price pressure. The steady drawdown narrows the buffer available to absorb further supply shocks, a factor the global oil market, and by extension inflation expectations and gold, are watching closely.
Rigzone · Jul 19, 2026
US average gasoline price edges toward 4 dollars a gallon
According to data from AAA, the US national average price of regular gasoline reached 3.94 dollars a gallon as of July 16, 2026, up about 10 cents from the prior week and closing in on the 4 dollar mark. Most states still average below 4 dollars a gallon. AAA cited instability around the Strait of Hormuz as one of the main causes of the increase, a factor that has also lifted crude oil prices. Rising gasoline prices in the world's largest economy feed into inflation expectations and the path of Federal Reserve policy, and through that channel they indirectly matter for Iran's gold and currency markets as well.
AAA · Jul 19, 2026